04.18.17

What are Your Thoughts on Aging?

What’s your take on aging and who you’re becoming with age, too? I’ll be 40 later this year and feel neither young nor old, but realize I’m entering what people call “middle age.” I haven’t “settled down,” and don’t feel an itch to do so, either.

Such a good question! I have thought a lot about aging and have even obsessed over it a little bit, too. Worrying about getting old was something that happened a lot more frequently when I was younger, because 30 might seem scary when you’re 24, but it seems a lot less old when you’re 34. There are times I can’t believe I’m in my mid-30s but I’ve learned to (mostly) embrace it.

My 20s weren’t that great until I made the move to Chicago a month before my 28th birthday. And even then I worked until at least 2AM every night to make it work and was never able to put anything away in savings. For the longest time I regretted wasting so many years dating a complete jerk for most of my 20s, but lessons were learned and the only thing I can do is live my best life now and hopefully help others not make the same mistakes I did.

Over the past few years there were times I loved being single and other times that it felt really lonely. I’ve gone from wishing I had kids–mostly because of my age–to feeling really happy that this is where I am right now. There’s no wrong or right way to do things and there’s no set or appropriate timeline. I am so grateful that I’ve had time to grow a business, travel, and enjoy lazy weekend mornings–something I know I’ll miss one day. And I truly believe that having more time to do you is never a bad thing.

I had these very set ideas of things that had to happen by a certain point in time–specifically getting married by 28 and having my first baby at 30. So if you aren’t where you think you should be or even where you want to be, you are not alone. But living your life waiting for happiness is less than ideal.

My 30s have been so much better than my 20s. They don’t look at all like I thought they would but I’ve gotten to travel, have been saving money each month (huge change from my 20s!), and generally feel like I know who I am so much more than I did years ago. Life is not close to perfect and there are still things I really struggle with, but I feel so much more confident than I did years ago. And with each passing year, I’m able to learn more and more about who I am and what really matters to me.

The biggest change over the past year is the fact that my half sister passed away at the end of last year which really changed my outlook on life. Each year is a gift. Those grey hairs and wrinkles and even aches are milestones I am lucky to experience.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on aging, too! And if you have any questions you’d like me to answer, leave them in the comments below!